Congress, BJP chiefs of Uttarakhand on sticky wicket

ALMORA: Internal feud in political parties often extracts its pound of flesh. And, at times, they take toll on the party brass also. In poll-bound Uttarakhand, the chiefs of both the main parties -- the Congress and the BJP-- are having a tough time as the seats from where they are contesting have strong rebel candidates.
For state BJP chief Ajay Bhatt, winning Ranikhet constituency will be an uphill task.
Bhatt not only faces a challenge from the Congress, but also from his one-time trusted lieutenant Pramod Nainwal, who rose in rebellion after BJP denied him the ticket.
Bhatt had won the seat in 2012 elections by just 78 votes. He had defeated Karan Mahara of Congress.
According to the locals, Nainwal, who is contesting as an independent, has a good reputation in the constituency.
“We would like to support Nainwal because he had launched anti-liquor movement-- ‘Nasha Hatao, Pahad Bachao’. He has been working in the constituency for the past several years. He understands the pain of women whose homes were ruined due to alcohol,” said Rita Arya, a resident of Arre village.
Another Ranikhet resident, Hem Joshi, said: “Nainwal worked for the village women for over three years. He enjoys popularity in Ranikhet and Bhiyiasain blocks.”
Congress’ Uttarakhand chief Kishore Upadhyaya also seems to be on a sticky wicket in Sahaspur assembly segment.
Upadhyaya, a former MLA from Tehri, is up against BJP’s Sahdev Pundir, who is a sitting MLA.
Sahaspur was never on the list of Upadhyaya, as he was keen on contesting from his old bastion Tehri. However, he had to budge before the choice of his party brass.
The presence of party rebel Ayendra Sharma has made the matter worse for Upadhyaya.
Sharma rebelled from Congress after being denied ticket. He is also contesting as an independent candidate.
“I did not choose Sahaspur but the party and chief minister asked me to contest from here and I agreed to it. But the election results will make things clear. Congress party will win with thumping majority in Sahaspur,” Upadhyaya told TOI.
The opponents are targeting Upadhyaya for not hailing from Sahaspur and tagging him as an “outsider”.